(Wakefield, QC) It's final! The lineup is in place and the excitement is building for the 8th annual documentary film festival in Wakefield, now called Wakefield Doc Fest. The festival, begun in 2010 by Robert and Brenda Rooney, endeavours to show a selection of the best in current feature-length documentary film, along with providing opportunities for attendees to process and talk about the films they are seeing. It all takes place over the four weekends in February and the screenings are at the Centre Wakefield La Pêche in the beautiful little village of Wakefield, QC. A map is at the website, wakefielddocfest.ca. Along with the Core Program of eight feature-length documentary films in the 2017 Wakefield Doc Fest, there's a whole new pilot project incorporated into the festival – the themed Saturday Matinee Series. As in the Core Program, this series will screen top quality, current, award-winning, feature-length Canadian and International documentary films. For this 2017 festival, the Saturday Matinee Series theme is HUMAN/NATURE and its four films are concerned with our relationship with other creatures and with the land. Saturday Matinee Series films screen one-time-only on Saturdays at 1pm and there is a special half price ticket for youth 12 and under. Parents, though, need to know that these are not necessarily 'kids films.' Check the listings for details. As its name suggests, the Core Program is the heart of the festival. Each of the eight films in this program will screen twice on a particular weekend. Festival organizers are delighted to bring you a remarkable assortment of films for the program, from many corners of the world: Australia, the South Pacific, the Faroe Islands, a tiny Italian island just north of the shore of Tunisia in the Mediterranean, Wales, the U.S., as well as back here at home in Quebec and Canada. Many of these films highlight our strengths and possibilities, while some weave extraordinary stories. Some themes are difficult, but none are without hope. Core Program tickets are $15 and weekend passes for the Core Program are available. CORE PROGRAM: Feb 4 & 5 SO THAT YOU CAN STAND (Canada, 2015, 83 min – English & French/Inuktitut w English s.t.) d Ole Gjerstad OPENING GALA 7:30 pm Feb 4 w Innu negotiator Senator Charlie Watt and director Ole Gjerstad in attendance PUTUPARRI AND THE RAINMAKERS (Australia, 2016, 97 min – English & Wangkajunga with English s.t.) d Nicole Ma Talkback event t.b.a. Wakefield Doc Fest 2017 Lineup - page two Feb 11 & 12 A PLASTIC OCEAN (UK/Hong Kong/USA/Canada, 2016, 102 min - English) d Craig Leeson PANEL DISCUSSION 7:30pm Feb 11 w local experts involved in water testing in Gatineau & Ottawa Rivers THE ISLANDS AND THE WHALES (UK/Denmark, 2016, 82 min – Faroese/Danish w English s.t.) d Mike Day Director Mike Day will 'attend' by Skype for post screening Q & A 4pm Feb 12 Feb 18 & 19 FIRE AT SEA (Italy/France, 2015, 108 min – Italian w English s.t.) d Gianfranco Rosi Talkback event t.b.a. SPACESHIP EARTH (Canada, 2016, 122 min – English & English s.t.) d Kevin McMahon Talkback event t.b.a. Feb 25 & 26 QUEBEC: MY COUNTRY MON PAYS (Canada, 2016, 90 min – English and French w English s.t.) d John Walker Talkback event t.b.a. DARK HORSE(UK, 2015, 85 min – English) d Louise Osmond SATURDAY MATINEE SERIES - Human/Nature Feb 4 THE EAGLE HUNTRESS (UK/Mongolia/USA, 2016, 87 min – Kazakh w English s.t.) d Otto Bell Feb 11 KONELINE: OUR LAND BEAUTIFUL (Canada, 2016, 96 min – English) d Nettie Wild Director Nettie Wild will 'attend' by Skype for post screening Q & A Feb 18 PRISON DOGS (USA, 2016, 72 min – English) d Perri Peltz & Geeta Gandbhir Producer Jennifer Minsky & a vet who has received a service dog will 'attend' by Skype for post screening Q & A Feb 25 UNLOCKING THE CAGE (USA, 2016, 92 min – English) d Chris Hegedus & D A Pennebaker As mentioned above, Wakefield Doc Fest endeavours to include 'experience enhancements' for our audience like director visits, panel discussions, and the like. There are some amazing and inspiring people lined up to make your festival experience something to talk about. And, of course, there are always galas and receptions to get the conversation going. Wakefield Doc Fest 2017 takes place on Saturdays and Sundays, February 4 to 26, at the Centre Wakefield La Pêche in Wakefield, an effortless, scenic 20 to 25 minute drive from downtown Ottawa. For more details on the festival lineup, and for ticket prices and special offer information, please see the website: wakefielddocfest.ca News about events will be announced as they are confirmed.
top of page
bottom of page
Comments